Musharraf sentenced to death for treason in Pakistan

A Pakistani court on Tuesday sentenced former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to death for treason and undermining the constitution.

“Pervez Musharraf has been found guilty of Article 6 for violation of the constitution of Pakistan,” government law officer Salman Nadeem said, according to Reuters.

The charges against Musharraf stem from his declaration of a state of emergency, which lasted from November 2007 to February 2008 and was implemented amid heightened opposition to his rule. The declaration suspended civil liberties, human rights and democratic processes.

The former strongman seized power of Pakistan in a military coup in 1999 and ruled as president from 2001 until he resigned under pressure in 2008 after his political party performed poorly in Pakistan’s national election.

He has spent much of his time in exile abroad since leaving office.

Musharraf issued a video statement last month from a hospital bed in Dubai claiming he was not being given a fair trial in the case against him, which was first filed in 2013, according to Reuters.

“I served the nation and made decisions for the betterment of the country,” Musharraf said in the video.

Musharraf’s sentence marks the first time in Pakistani history that an army chief has been tried and found guilty of treason, which is punishable by death or life imprisonment under the country’s constitution. Two members of the three-judge panel voted for capital punishment while the third did not support the death penalty but did agree on a conviction, according to CNN.